A meditative mix of soundsMoran students get lesson in didgeridoo music

February 19, 2009|KIM KILBRIDE Tribune Staff Writer

Though it looks fun, learning to play the didgeridoo -- an ancient Australian instrument -- is no easy task, Sam Boys of Plymouth recently told students from Moran Elementary School in Osceola. It requires one to learn how to breathe circularly, he explained, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Aboriginal people have a great respect for nature, he said, so they often draw pictures of animals on their didgeridoos. "They'll also copy animal sounds," he said before imitating a kookaburra via the instrument. "You can do a lot of local sounds," Boys said. "You can also sing into your didgeridoo. And, you can even make a choir of sounds all at once. "That's part of the mystery of this wonderful, ancient instrument," said Boys, who also is coordinator of pastoral ministry, assistant professor of ethics, religion at Ancilla College. For audience members interested in learning to play, Boys suggested they make their own instrument. A piece of 5-foot, 1.25- inch PVC pipe can be painted and decorated and played much like a didgeridoo, he said. "This was only three bucks, by the way," he added, holding up his own handmade didgeridoo. Next, Boys taught the students a relaxing meditation and then played the instrument as they kept their eyes closed and he walked around the gym. "Its vibration, like the vibration of the Earth, makes us feel calm, relaxed and grounded," he said. Just before the end of the presentation, Boys asked for questions from audience members. Fourth-grader Heaven Bruegel asked what the hardest part about learning to play is. "To just get the tone," Boys said. "You have to relax your lips." Another student asked how it feels to play a didgeridoo. "It makes my body vibrate," Boys said. "It feels like electricity."Staff writer Kim Kilbride: kkilbride@sbtinfo.com (574) 247-7759